Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Shares Purchased by CKW Financial Group

CKW Financial Group grew its position in Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,625 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. CKW Financial Group’s holdings in Baxter International were worth $77,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. M&R Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Baxter International by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in Baxter International by 60.8% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First PREMIER Bank purchased a new stake in Baxter International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:BAX opened at $32.45 on Monday. Baxter International Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.33 and a 12-month high of $44.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 162.23, a P/E/G ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.64.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.02. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Baxter International Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 340.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on BAX. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com lowered Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Baxter International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.45.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.